


Martina Gerti Shappey

by SteamPunk93



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Arthur/Dirk the groundskeeper, BAMF Carolyn, BAMF Marin, BAMF Martin, Childbirth, Douglas does he is told, F/M, Fem!arthur, Fluffy, Gen, Genderswap, Humour, Martin can help deliver babies, Rule 63, Surprise pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, crackfic born out of study avoidances, martin has control, serect established relationship, squeamish Douglas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-29 12:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1005182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteamPunk93/pseuds/SteamPunk93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Female Arthur is totally unaware that she is pregnant and goes into labour mid-air on return to Fitton. Martin for once knows exactly what to do and takes control of the situation and looks after Arthur and gives orders Douglas follows without question. Carolyn is furious and demands to know who the father is and accuse every single man at Fitton airfield including both Douglas and Martin.</p><p>(I wanted for Martin to just once take control of a unique situation in which he was the only one to know exactly what to do and for Douglas to blindly follow his orders. Plus I was avoiding studying for my last tests in Senior School. This is the result.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Martina Gerti Shappey

It started mid flight, while Arthur was making the coffees. She felt a strong pain in her lower belly. Well, actually she had been getting some pains all trips but Arthur didn’t pay it much attention. She just brushed it off as period pains and got on with her work.

“Coffees, chaps!” Arthur said cheerfully. 

“Ah, thank you, Arthur.” Douglas said taking a mug.

“Thanks, Arthur.” 

As the pilots drank their coffee, Arthur felt another jab on pain that made her moan under breath. This was definitely her period that was going to come soon, which wouldn’t be that brilliant. Arthur hadn’t had her period in months. But that was nothing special. She never had been that regular, if at all regular, so she never really kept track of them and always packed a spare pack of pads in her bag, just in case.

Figuring that it was a period cramp, Arthur left the chaps to drink their coffee while she walked away the empty plane for a while. It usually walked but this time it didn’t.

When she came back to the flight deck to get the mugs, Martin noticed Arthur wincing in pain. “Arthur, are you okay?”

“Oh, I’ve just got bloody cramps, Skip. Which is fine. I haven’t had one in a while.”

“What? A bloody cramp?” Douglas asked at of amazement that Author could be properly swearing. 

“A ‘bloody cramp’ as in ‘period cramp’. I haven’t had my period in months but then again I have never been regular.” Arthur said, making Martin and Douglas suddenly feel very uncomfortable. 

“Thanks for sharing that, Arthur.”

“Welcome, skipper. Ow! I just going to go and try to walk this cramping off.”

“Yes, please go do that. “Douglas said, willing Arthur to go away.

Arthur gone, Martin and Douglas went back to playing “I came through customs…”

####

A couple of hours later, as they began to make their final approach to Fitton, Martin went to the loo. As he came out, he heard Arthur in the galley in pain.

“Arthur? Are you alright?” Marin said with concern in his voice. 

Arthur’s reply had enough fear and pain in her voice to make Martin come down into the galley even if she didn’t say, “Umm? Actually, I don’t thank I am alright, Skip! I don’t think this is period pain! This is something else!”

Martin rushed into the galley and saw Arthur panting and hunched over the sink, gripping it for dear life and looking very sacred. 

“Okay, Arthur, tell me where you are hurting.” Martin said calmly and trying to keep himself calm. 

“My tummy! It hurts! It feels like really, really bad period pain but I don’t think it is!” Arthur called, nearly in tears from the pain as she clang to the side of the sink.

Then Martin properly noticed Arthur’s belly, her slightly but definitely swollen belly. Something in the back of Martin’s mind reminded him that when the embryo implants at the back of the uterus, the mother may not develop a bump until she is about twenty weeks pregnant or later or at all. This fact also remind Martin of that time he and he mother had been in the garden when their next neighbour went in to labour, who had no idea at all she was pregnant and she had no bump at all. Martin and his Mum had to help deliver the baby. Something told Martin that he may have that interesting experience of assisting a woman in labour again.

“Arthur, when was the last time you had your period? Was it nine months ago? Did you sleep with someone around that time?”

“Yes and yes. But? What has that got to do with anything, Skip?” Arthur panted, now looking embarrassed as well as in pain. 

“I have a theory that could explain what’s going on.” Martin said as he gentle put his head against her swollen belly, just above her pelvis. Sure enough, he heard a heart beating. 

“I can hear a heart beating. And that confirms it. You are in labour. Don’t worry, Arthur. I know what doing.” Martin said calmly as he then went to grab some blankets and the first aid kit.

“What? But I can’t be. I can’t really remember much about the last time I had sex but I’m pretty sure that we were careful.” This was true, about most of the time she and Dirk had sex. But this baby was conceived during Arthur’s last period. She and Dirk thought that meant she couldn’t get pregnant so they didn’t use condoms. “And if I was pregnant, why haven’t I got a baby bump tummy by now?”

“Some women don’t get bumps when they are pregnant. And your stomach is slightly swollen. Look, everything is going to be okay Arthur. I know what I’m doing here.”

“Really?”

As if her body was insulted that she doubted Martin, her waters broke there and then in front of Martin. This left her in no doubt that she was pregnant and about to give birth.

“Oh, my God! I’m having! I mean, I having a BABY!!! RIGHT NOW!!! ON BOARD GERTI!!! OW!!! Skipper?! Are you sure you know what you’re doing?!” Arthur yelled as she went from euphoria to panic.

“Arthur, calm down. I know what I’m doing. My Mum was a midwife for twenty years and now she teaches midwifery. Growing up, she taught me enough to be able to help out when my aunts and a neighbour had their home births.” Martin said calmly and with authority of convince in his voice. He thought it best to leave out that the lady next door’s home birth wasn’t really her choice. “ Now, calm down, take a few deep breaths and take your pants.”

“What?!” 

“I need figure out where this baby is and how we’ve got till your baby will be here.”

While Arthur undressed her lower half, Martin got on the intercom to Douglas.

“Douglas? I’m in the galley with Arthur and she has gone into labour.”

“What?! Since when has she been expecting?” Douglas said in shock with just the very faintest hints of panic in his voice.

He would never admit it, but the very idea of labour and birth sacred him. Tokophobia. That was why he made sure that he was scheduled to fly the entire month of his wife due date. He had been very grateful to miss the birth but played up his disappointment for his wife’s benefit. Now, he felt that fate was coming around to bite him in the arse. 

“I don’t know. Douglas, how much longer till we land? I don’t know how long we have until the baby arrives but I’ve got a feeing that it won’t be very long.” Martin said still calm and confidant.

“Err, little under an hour. Look, are you sure that…?’

Martin cut his question. 

“I know that she is pregnant, I heard the baby’s heart beat and I know that she is definitely in labour as her waters just broke in front of me. Trust me, I handle this, Douglas. Women in labour and helping them give birth is one of the few situations in which I know exactly what to do. I can do this. Now, can you please fly this plane to Fitton Airfield, alert tower to this situation, and land by yourself? Oh, and can you sat-con Carolyn? We should really tell her that she is about to be a grandmother. Okay? Thank you.”

Martin then got off the inter-com before Douglas could reply and started scrubbing his hands thoroughly clean. After four minutes of scrubbing, he returned his attention to Arthur, who was trying to get herself comfortable in a squatting position. “Okay. Tell me when you start to feel the urge to push.”

“Yeah, I’m feeling it now, Skip!” Arthur winced in pain.

“Oh! Okay! Everything is going to be alright, Arthur. I promise you that. Just…Just let me have a  
look…” Martin said as he began to wonder how right he was when told Douglas that the baby wouldn’t be long.

###  
Still in a state of shock, Douglas blindly followed Martin’s orders and called Carolyn. 

“Hello, drivers. What’s the matter?” Carolyn answered, already sounding grumpy. 

“Ah, Carolyn.” Douglas said nervously, realising that he hadn’t thought this far ahead and now he desperately needed to try and think of the best way to convey the information he had to give Carolyn. 

“Yes? What is it that you want, Douglas?”

“Me? I want nothing. But Martin wants me to inform you that you are about to become a grandmother as your daughter is down in the galley with Martin in labour.” 

“WHAT???!!!” Carolyn screamed through the speakers. If Arthur hadn’t been calling out in pain, she and Martin would have heard her through the closed flight deck door. 

“HOW CAN SHE POSSIBLE BE IN LABOUR, OR PREGNANT FOR THAT MATTER???!!!”

“I don’t know but Doctor Crieff informs that he heard the baby’s heart beat and was present when Arthur’s waters broke…And I can hear Arthur screaming through the cabin door. Apparently, Martin has the situation under control and he knows what to do with helping women give birth.”

“How the hell does he know what to do to help women give birth?! What does he know about giving birth?!”

“Who bloody knows? He does live in a house with uni students. Perhaps some of the girls have required the aid of the friendly ghost of the house with some awkward situations.” Douglas said in his usual snide manner. Although, the comment did stem from some need to deal with a very strange situation rather than malice.

“So, to sum up. My daughter, who lives with me, has secretly been up the duff for months and has not told anyone, including me, about this baby and to help conceal this fact has kept working which has led her to going into labour mid air with Martin by her side to deliver this baby?!” Carolyn snapped 

“…Yes, that just about sums it up. Although, to be fair to Arthur I’m not entirely convinced that she knew was pregnant when she got on the plane.” Douglas replied sheepishly.

Carolyn sighed deeply before growling “Okay! Douglas, listen to me to very carefully. Get my daughter to Fitton Airfield NOW!!! Do not divert for ANYTHING!!! Just get her here NOW!!!” 

“Working on it, Carolyn!” Douglas yelped.

“Douglas, you…”

“Sorry, Carolyn! I have to call ATC and let them know that we are coming in and Arthur is about to give birth. Bye!”

After cutting her off, Douglas was grateful to no longer hear Carolyn screaming at him for something that wasn’t his fault, he was just the messenger. He then composed himself for a couple of minutes before he Sat-conned Fitton Tower. Although, this time round, Douglas took the time to plan what he was going to say.

Carl was quite confused and bemused by what Douglas was saying. That Arthur had gone into labour, Martin was in the galley to help her deliver the baby but anyway, could the ATC call for some paramedics to come to the Airfield. At first, Carl though Douglas was taking the piss, playing a much belated April Fools joke, but the he heard Arthur starting screaming in pain.

Given that the screaming was originating from the galley and Carl heard it quite clearly, one can only imagine how loud it was for Martin’s ears. But Martin wasn’t about to complain. He decided that, given he wasn’t the one squatting on the galley floor trying to give birth to the baby he hadn’t know he was carrying, Martin didn’t feel like he had a right to complain at this point in time. Also, he had no idea that Arthur had actually know this vast array of swear words. 

 

Having established that Douglas wasn’t taking the piss, Carl called for paramedics to come to the airfield. Good thing Fitton Airfield actually wasn’t too far from the hospital.

####back to the galley as the plan landed

Martin’s instincts were right. It wasn’t very long before Arthur’s baby was crowing. 

“That’s it. Okay, Arthur. Just a few more strong pushes and the baby will be out and you’ll be hugging your ginger haired baby”

“Ginger haired? Brilliant!” Arthur strained. 

“That’s it the head’s out! Okay, Arthur, don’t push, pant.” Martin said as he was reminded how very slippery a newborn baby is. Arthur did as she was told and hoped that the baby was alright. 

“That’s it! She’s out.” Martin called out, as he cleaned the baby’s mouth. 

“She?” Arthur panted.

“Yup. It’s a girl.” Martin said, while he checked the baby’s breathing. 

Once the baby started crying, Martin placed the baby in her mother’s arms and went to open the plane doors for the paramedics, deciding that they could deal with the umbilical cord and placenta. 

“I have a little girl. A little brilliant ginger haired girl.” Arthur sobbed.

“I don’t suppose that you have thought of a name for her yet?” One of the paramedics asked as them came in the galley and started to look Arthur and the baby over.

“Oh, I have!” Arthur beamed happily.

“Really? What?” Martin asked surprised and slightly worried. Well, her dog was called Snoopadoop… 

“Yup! Martina Gertie Shappey. Because Captain Martin Crieff helped me deliver her onboard Gerti and our surname is Shappy.”

Martin nodded, agreeing completely with Arthur’s logic as he helped the paramedics get her on the stretcher with the baby still in her arms. 

###  
Martina Gertie Shappey, 6 ½ pounds born 11:36 am 21st November 2012.  
###

As soon as Martin and Douglas saw Carolyn marching down the hospital, then knew that they were in for a royal bollocking. 

“She’s in there with your granddaughter and a lactation consultant.” Douglas called out, hoping to divert Carolyn from tearing Martin and he apart by playing on a mother’s heart. It wasn’t going to work. Martin could see that.

“Does my granddaughter have a name?!” Carolyn growled through her teeth as she made her way to the hospital door.

“Arthur’s calling her Martina Gertie Shappey.” Martin said sheepishly. 

Carolyn looked through the window and saw Arthur with a lactation consultant, trying to breast feed the baby. The ginger haired baby.

“Ginger hair. The baby has ginger hair. Is she yours, Martin?! Do you knock my daughter up behind my back?! Is that way you helped Arthur give birth? Is that why Arthur named her Martina?! IS THAT…??” Carolyn snarled fiercely. 

“No, no and no, Carolyn! I have never, never laid a finger on Arthur. I have absolutely no idea at all who the baby’s father is but I know that Martina definitely, definitely isn’t mine. Arthur named her after me because I delivered her.” Martin said, backing away from Carolyn quickly and nearly tripping over his feet doing so. 

Carolyn was about to turn her furry onto Douglas when he declared, “Now, wait! Hang on, Carolyn! I was not present at Martina’s birth and I most certainly was not present at her conception either!”

Carolyn thought it best to go walk off her anger before talking to her daughter, who has already had quite a day. She just happened to be walking back to the airfield. To question every single man working there that she met.

As she walked, Carolyn realised that she was, however, secretly grateful that she hadn’t gotten round to throwing out Arthur’s old baby stuff yet.

###  
After Carolyn left the hospital, Martin went into Arthur’s room to see how she and the baby were. 

“Hey, Skip. Where’s Mum? I want her to meet Martina.” A happy Arthur said as she slowly rocked the baby in her arms.

“At present, I think she is accusing every man that works at Fitton Airfield of being Martina’s father. She even turned her furry on Douglas and me.”

Arthur shifted her weight nervously while sitting on the bed. Suddenly a thought that had been at the back of Martin’s mind now demanded to answered. 

“Arthur, do you know who Martina’s father is?” Martin asked slowly, he wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to know the answer to this question.

“Of course I do!” Arthur said, vaguely offended that Martin asked that. “Martina’s dad is Dirk.”

“The groundskeeper? Ooh, he has ginger hair, doesn’t he? He’s Martina’s dad?” Martin asked, trying not to judge Arthur’s taste in men.

Arthur nodded. “He’s a sweetheart once you get to know him. He’s my sweetheart. He has a pet name for me, Artie.”

Martin just nodded as he asked, “How long have you and Dirk been together?”

“Well, we have been an item, as he would say for about …uh… two and a bit years now. We have been waiting for the right time to tell Mum.”

“Okay.” Was kind of all Martin could say as he tried to imagine how Arthur managed to keep a relationship secret for two and a bit hours. Never mind years. 

##Back at the airfield

Carolyn had just finished chewing out Carl in ATC and she moved on to the men in the fire crew when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the dark red man walking to the air flied.

“YOU!!!” Carolyn shouted and started to march towards him like a woman in a mission of destruction.

“What?! Whatever it is, I’m sure I didn’t do it.” Dirk said with his voice on the edge of panic. But then, who wouldn’t be on the edge of panic with a furious Carolyn marching towards them? Especially when they had been secretly shagged her daughter upon occasion. 

“If by that, you mean that you didn’t knock up my daughter who has just given birth to a ginger haired girl on my jet?! Then sure, you are off the hook!” Carolyn yelled sarcastically. 

“Artie’s had a baby? My baby?” Dirk asked in both shock and excitement. 

Carolyn then promptly slapped him and dragged him by the ear off to the hospital. In front of the engineers, the fire crew and Carl. It would only be a matter of hours before everyone who ever worked at the airfield knew that Arthur had given birth to Kirk’s daughter on board Gerti. 

As Martin left Arthur’s room, he saw Carolyn with Dirk by the ear coming down the hallway. Sensing that something really bad was going to happen, he promptly legged it to the cafeteria to meet up with Douglas 

##

Dirk fell in love with Martina as soon as he held her in his arms. He wasn’t listening to the conversation Arthur and Carolyn were having, with Carolyn trying desperately to stay calm if only to be able to hear what Arthur was saying. How could he pay attention to anything else other than this perfect, beautiful little person he and Arthur, although, it was mostly Arthur, had created?

Carolyn made Dirk clean the galley floor. She decided that as he put a baby in her daughter, he can clean the mass the baby made on the way out. Dirk agreed that that was fair. He also agreed to help Arthur raise Martina, Dirk wanted to help look after his baby girl anyway. Carolyn wasn’t quite ready to let Dirk move in with her, her daughter and her granddaughter. But he would be allowed to stay over every now and again… In the guest room, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the birth scene while consulting the copy of the SAS Survival Guide by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman that my Mum brought me for Christmas one year. Pages 318 to 319 explain how to preform and assist in an emergency childbirth. Martina's time of birth was actually the time I finished my last test for Year 12.


End file.
